The Small Screen Diaries- 02/16/24

I’m now only one episode away from learning which of the three contestants I don’t care about wins Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix). Of course, I could just look it up, since this was decided a while ago, but I don’t binge shows. I like my cliffhangers. I’m glad Ashley didn’t make the final 3, since she couldn’t see the irony in someone not following with a selfless group act. But, I’m also not sure I want Maya to win. I’m not sure I want any of these three to win, because this show has been more interested in getting … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 02/16/24

The Small Screen Diaries- 02/15/24

Did you feel like you got hit on the head yesterday? That’s because Paramount Global has axed streamer Noggin, which launched as a cable channel in 199, before developing its own paid service in 2015. Nine years later, Paramount Global is on fire, and they need to cut costs. A lot of the basic core programs of Noggin are available on Paramount Plus anyway, so I’m sure this is just a redundancy they felt was needed. I was more surprised that 800 people worked for Noggin. Just to balance themselves out, they also cancelled Evil. So, something on either end … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 02/15/24

The Small Screen Diaries- 02/13/24

Happy Valentine’s Day! For this Valentine’s I got you some TV News to start your day. Apple has renewed Invasion for a 3rd season, while Netflix has picked up Survival Of The Thickest for a second season. The latter of the two took way too long, and must have come down to a budgeting wire. I am shockingly still with Boy Swallows The Universe (Netflix), which is actually better once you get past the pilot. Still, it’s a very odd show, but the 4th episode continues with the boys trying to adapt to living with their estranged alcoholic father, wanting … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 02/13/24

The Small Screen Diaries- 02/12/24

Welcome back Jon Stewart, who has returned to The Daily Show once a week through at least the election. Also, Katy Perry is making this her last season of American Idol. Dear Producers, *PLEASE* get an alumni. It is so awkward that two of them have been on The Voice, but not American Idol. It’s time to bring home Kelly, Carrie, Jennifer Hudson, Fantasia, Jordon Sparks, or any of the myriad of female artists whose career has been launched by this show. Honestly, I wish the whole panel was alumni. And with that, I knocked out another episode of My … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 02/12/24

The Small Screen Diaries- 02/04/24

the way my week works, is that I typically try and introduce new shows on Sunday to my rotation, and then Monday starts going through another episode of each show I’ve decided to continue with. So, this Sunday, my watching of Sexy Beast (Paramount Plus) was so disjointed and interrupted, I decided I’d just use its “second” episode that would happen later this week to rewatch the pilot coherently. but, technically I tried. While I do really enjoy the Jonathan Glazer film on which the series is adapted, it’s been years since I’ve seen the film. At least twenty, but … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 02/04/24

The Small Screen Diaries- 02/01/24

Looks like NBC is trying to review Suits, with a pilot order for Suits: LA. Also, Netflix made a giant announcement yesterday confirming several series will bow in 2024, including the final seasons of Sweet Tooth, Umbrella Academy, and Cobra Kai, along with new seasons of The Diplomat, Emily In Paris, That 90’s Show, The Night Agent, and Outer Banks. Waiting until 2025 for sure, are Stranger Things, Wednesday, Virgin River, and Ginny and Georgia. That last one surprised me, as it doesn’t seem like a show that takes a long time to put together, and with the relative youth … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 02/01/24

The Small Screen Diaries- 01/25/24

It’s been so long since any news that I was not shocked that Wolf Pack was cancelled by Paramount Plus after one season. I kinda already thought it had been. Especially with Paramount going through a much reported mass firing shortly. Fool Me Once (Netflix) I see is still trending in Netflix’s top 10. Harlan Cobin’s adaptations seem to always attract enough attention, and the British audio description on the series is solid. In this episode, a car alarm was triggered in a way I hadn’t thought of, but I thought the narrator did a nice job of explaining it. … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 01/25/24

Murderball

When I decided to start revealing my failings with Oscar nominees I hadn’t seen yet, I remembered having seen a certain title on the list for Peacock, and I knew what I was watching. Somehow, despite the fact that the majority of the described content on Peacock does not predate the streaming service, even with their own content, and even with titles that have known audio description, Murderball has audio description. It’s not a Universal or Focus release, it is 20 years old, and a documentary I’m sure isn’t climbing their ratings ranks. However, this nominee qualifies. Yes, nominee. It … Continue reading Murderball

The Small Screen Diaries- 01/19/24

I found out that Apple isn’t moving forward on a third season of Schmigadoon. Honestly, I was shocked they made a second. Very pleasantly surprised, as I love that show, but still surprised. Not shocked by the cancellation, especially after they also ditched The After Party last year. I also wasn’t surprised by who won Celebrity jeopardy (Hulu) this week. That’s the person that I assumed would win the whole thing, so the fact they made the final three doesn’t shock me.I laughed at the audio description. At the very end, when our lovely narrator is filling in that lead … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 01/19/24

The Small Screen Diaries: 01/15/24

The Emmys were last night, and Succession predictably did well, while Better Call Saul finished its run with not a single win for anything ever. I’m most excited for Paul Walter Houser who won Supporting Actor in a Limited for Blackbird, which was on Apple Plus in July 2022. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should. He’s fantastic. And now, the shows I actually did watch. My Life With The Walter Boys (Netflix) has some audio description that has grown on me. Of course, four episodes in and I have a bit more of a grasp on this show … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries: 01/15/24

The Too Much TV Roundup- 01/14/24

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day! I don’t think I watched anything yesterday that fits with today. Maybe I’ll try to do that on the day of, but then I’ll be mentioning it the next day. It’s like having a Newsweek subscription nowadays, when everything has already been discussed. The Critics Choice awards last night were pretty predictable. I did see one site refer to Emma Stone’s win as a “shocker”. Really? Yes, Lily won the Globe… but so did Emma. They were just finally in the same category. Interestingly, the same “journalist” had nothing to say about the “shocker” … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 01/14/24

The Small Screen Diaries- 01/11/24

Starting off my column of the day with bad news. MAX has inexplicably struck again, cancelling Julia after two seasons, thus ending Sarah Lancashire’s terrific performance as the famous chef. I refer to everything I said when they cancelled Our Flag Means Death, reminding you that this is a company that used a completed film as a tax write off. But, sadly, Julia isn’t the only show exiting stage right. ABC has announced this will be the final season of the Good Doctor. After failing to produce a spinoff, it’s time for the ABC drama to go away, I guess. … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 01/11/24

The Holdovers

Where I Watched it: Peacock English Audio Description?: Yes Cast: Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da’vine Joy Randolph, and Carrie Preston. Written By: David Hemingson Directed By Alexander Payne What would be fun would be to start each year, try and find some grand master list of all the projected titles for the year, and predict my top 10. if I had done that, I would have predicted The Holdovers. It feels like something that was made for me. Not that films like this don’t disappoint me, or that I’ve been let down before, but ever since i heard about The … Continue reading The Holdovers

The Small Screen Diaries- 01/06/24

The creative arts Emmys were last night, and some really interesting choices were made. Did your show win any of the below the line awards? Was your favorite guest actor or actress awarded a trophy? Also, the National Society of Film Critics (an aspirational group for me) named Past Lives as the film of the year, but my favorite pick of theirs was giving an honorable Mention to Rachel macadams for Are You There God, It’s me Margaret? I did think it was weird that Zone of Interest was the Best Picture honorable mention, won director, and was recognized as … Continue reading The Small Screen Diaries- 01/06/24

The Too Much TV Roundup- 12/28/23

The exciting TV news for the day? Night Court has axed Neil. of course, with my limited time, I was planning on axing Night Court anyway. Also, expect even less day and date releases in 2023, since the strikes pushed back a lot of films on the 2023 calendar. Now they are worried that 2023 could be a really slow year at the movies. Well, maybe you should have stopped trying to replace everyone with AI. 1) Neon (Netflix) English Audio Description?: Yes Status: Not Yet Renewed Santi pushes his crew further away as he chooses his fake alliance with … Continue reading The Too Much TV Roundup- 12/28/23